Some Persian verbs begin with a lexical preverb such as بر، در، فرو, or باز: برگشتن “return,” درآمدن “come in/become,” فروریختن “collapse,” and بازگشتن “return.” The preverb belongs to the verb’s dictionary identity, but prefixes such as می and negative نـ/نمی appear between it and the stem: برمیگردد، برنمیگردد، برنگشت.
They are therefore “separable” morphologically, not freely movable in syntax. You cannot put an object or adverb inside the verbal word. English phrasal verbs offer a misleading comparison: English can separate turn the light off, whereas Persian separation here is restricted to verbal morphology.
The ordering template
| Category | Order | Example |
|---|---|---|
| simple past | PREVERB + past stem + ending | برگشتم |
| present/imperfective | PREVERB + می + present/past stem + ending | برمیگردم، برمیگشتم |
| negative past/subjunctive | PREVERB + نـ + stem + ending | برنگشتم، برنگردم |
| negative imperfective | PREVERB + نمی + stem + ending | برنمیگردم |
| positive subjunctive/imperative | PREVERB + present stem + ending | برگردم، برگرد |
The ordinary subjunctive/imperative بـ is normally absent in these close preverb verbs: برگردم, not a double sequence built by inserting another ب. This absence is lexical-morphological; it does not mean that the clause lacks subjunctive mood.
بعد از پایان جلسه مستقیم به خانه برمیگردم.
ba'd az pâyân-e jalase mostaqim be khâne bar-mi-gardam.
After the meeting, I'm going straight home. (neutral standard; بر + می + گردم)
اگر تا نیمهشب برنگردد، به پلیس خبر میدهیم.
agar tâ nime-shab bar-na-gardad, be polis khabar mi-dahim.
If he or she does not return by midnight, we will notify the police. (neutral; negative subjunctive)
آن سال دیگر به زادگاهش برنگشت.
ân sâl digar be zâdgâh-ash bar-na-gasht.
That year, he or she did not return to their hometown. (neutral; negative simple past)
بر and در: lexical meaning, not a live preposition
In برگشتن, بر helps form the lexical meaning “return”; it does not introduce a noun phrase. In برداشتن “pick up/remove,” the present stem is دار-, producing برمیدارد، برندارد. The learner must know both stems of the entire prefixed verb.
خواهش میکنم ظرفها را از روی میز بردارید.
khâhesh mi-konam zarf-hâ râ az ru-ye miz bar-dârid.
Please remove the dishes from the table. (polite neutral; imperative/subjunctive without extra بـ)
او هیچ نکتهای را از قلم نمیاندازد.
u hich nokte-i râ az qalam nemi-andâzad.
He or she leaves no point out. (formal-neutral; ordinary prefixed morphology on انداختن, not a در-preverb example)
True در-preverb verbs show internal placement clearly. With درآمدن, the relevant forms include درمیآید، درنیامد, and درنیاید. Their meanings are often lexicalized: درآمدن can mean “come out,” “take a form,” or—in به صدا درآمدن—“begin to sound.” Context selects among them.
صدای هشدار ناگهان از بلندگو درآمد.
sedâ-ye hoshdâr nâgahân az bolandgu dar-âmad.
The warning sound suddenly came from the loudspeaker. (neutral; simple past of درآمدن)
هر شب اسباببازیها را از جعبه درمیآورد.
har shab asbâb-bâzi-hâ râ az ja'be dar-mi-âvarad.
Every night, he or she takes the toys out of the box. (neutral; در + می + آورد)
The fifth example above with نمیاندازد is a useful negative control: not every verb beginning with letters that could resemble a preverb is segmented the same way. Morphological ordering follows the lexical entry.
فرو and باز
فرو often contributes downward, inward, or collapsing motion: فرورفتن، فروریختن، فروبردن. Edited spelling frequently keeps the true preverb attached before internal می: فرومیریزد. Spaced variants occur in publications, but they do not license the ungrammatical order میفروریزد.
دیوار قدیمی زیر فشار آب فرومیریزد.
divâr-e qadimi zir-e feshâr-e âb foru-mi-rizad.
The old wall is collapsing under the water pressure. (formal-neutral; فرو + می + ریزد)
پایهها را محکم کردند تا سقف فرونریزد.
pâye-hâ râ mohkam kardand tâ saqf foru-na-rizad.
They reinforced the supports so that the roof would not collapse. (formal-neutral; negative subjunctive inside the preverb verb)
باز requires special care. In بازگشتن, it is a preverb and the standard finite form is بازمیگردد. In باز کردن “open,” it is the nonverbal element of a light-verb construction, so the words remain separate: باز میکند. In باز هم میآید, باز is an adverb “again.”
نماینده هفتهی آینده از سفر بازمیگردد.
namâyande hafte-ye âyande az safar bâz-mi-gardad.
The representative returns from the trip next week. (formal-neutral; باز preverb)
نگهبان در را ساعت هفت باز میکند.
negahbân dar râ sâ'at-e haft bâz mi-konad.
The guard opens the door at seven. (neutral; two-word light-verb construction)
Lexical exceptions and false segmentation
The initial letters of a verb do not prove that it has a living preverb. فروختن “sell” is not synchronically فرو + ختن; its present is میفروشد, not a form with می inserted after فرو. Likewise, borrowed and historically opaque verbs must be learned from their current paradigm rather than dissected by eye.
این فروشگاه محصولات محلی میفروشد.
in forushgâh mahsulât-e mahalli mi-forushad.
This shop sells local products. (neutral; میفروشد is not فرو + می + شد)
For the ordinary prefix system that these verbs interrupt, review Present Subjunctive Formation.
A short dialogue
— امشب برمیگردی؟ — نه، احتمال دارد فردا هم برنگردم.
— emshab bar-mi-gardi? — na, ehtemâl dârad fardâ ham bar-na-gardam.
— Are you coming back tonight? — No, I may not come back tomorrow either. (neutral conversation; indicative and negative subjunctive)
Common Mistakes
1. Putting می before the preverb
❌ او فردا میبرگردد.
Incorrect — with برگشتن, بر precedes internal می.
✅ او فردا عصر برمیگردد.
u fardâ asr bar-mi-gardad.
He or she will return tomorrow afternoon.
2. Adding an extra subjunctive ب after the preverb
❌ امیدوارم زود ببرگردی.
Incorrect — برگشتن normally suppresses the ordinary subjunctive بـ.
✅ امیدوارم پیش از شام برگردی.
omidvâr-am pish az shâm bar-gardi.
I hope you return before dinner.
3. Moving negative morphology before the preverb
❌ او هنوز نبرگشته است.
Incorrect — in this lexical verb, negation follows بر: برنگشته است.
✅ قطار هنوز به ایستگاه برنگشته است.
qetâr hanuz be istgâh bar-na-gashte ast.
The train has not yet returned to the station.
4. Misanalyzing فروختن as a preverb verb
❌ مغازه لباس فرومیخشد.
Incorrect — فروختن has present stem فروش and takes ordinary میفروشد.
✅ آن مغازه پارچهی دستباف میفروشد.
ân maghâze pârche-ye dast-bâf mi-forushad.
That shop sells handwoven fabric.
Key Takeaways
- True preverbs remain at the left edge while می، نـ, and نمی intervene before the stem.
- Close preverb verbs normally omit the positive subjunctive/imperative بـ.
- بازگشتن، باز کردن, and adverbial باز have different orthography and internal structure.
- Initial spelling alone is unreliable: فروختن is not synchronically segmented as فرو + verb.
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Start learning Farsi →Related Topics
- The Present StemA1 — Learn why Persian present stems must be stored with each verb, recognize common alternations, and use the stem in present-system forms.
- High-Frequency Irregular Present StemsA1 — Master the present stems رو، آی، گو، خواه، ده, and شو and build their standard and colloquial forms accurately.
- Present Subjunctive FormationA2 — Form the Persian present subjunctive with بـ, the present stem, and personal endings, including vowel allomorphy, preverbs, compounds, irregulars, and stress.
- Negative Present SubjunctiveA2 — Form the negative Persian subjunctive with stressed نـ instead of بـ, including compounds, lexical preverbs, irregular داشتن, and modal contrasts.
- Object Clitics inside Compound VerbsB2 — Track a Persian object clitic through the tense, aspect, mood, auxiliary, and voice morphology of a compound predicate.